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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team used a four-run fourth inning to surge past Connecticut and defeat the Huskies on Friday, 8-4, in the 2009 RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. The Colonels (6-5) have won three in a row and are now 2-1 against BIG EAST opponents this season.

Holding a slim 1-0 advantage heading into the fourth inning, freshman Jacob Daniel laced a one-out single to spark the rally. Freshman Michael Garcia then doubled down the left field line to advance Daniel to third. The next batter, freshman Richie Rodriguez, reached on an infield error and Daniel scored on the play. Following an RBI groundout by senior Matt Davis that plated Garcia, junior Anthony Ottrando and senior Tyler Rehmel blasted consecutive RBI doubles into left center to give the Colonels a 5-0 lead. UCONN (5-6) would not get closer than three runs the rest of the game.

Junior Chris Hord (1-1) earned the win for EKU, going three scoreless innings and allowing just one hit.

Freshman Greg Terry pitched the fourth and fifth innings and allowed two runs on five hits; however, he did pitch out of jams in both innings. In the fourth inning, with no outs and men on second and third, he got one batter to ground out and then struck out the final two batters of the inning looking. In the fifth inning, with one away and two men in scoring position, he forced two fly outs to escape the inning without giving up a run.

Sophomore Macon Smith worked the three innings following Terry and allowed two runs on three hits. Senior Alex Napier closed things down in the ninth by retiring the UCONN batters in order.

John Folino (X-X) received the loss for UCONN, working five innings and allowing six runs (only one earned) on 12 hits.

Daniel led the Colonels at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored. Davis and Ottrando both batted 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI in the game. Davis belted two triples on the day.

The Colonels pounded out 17 hits on the day and have recorded 48 hits in their last three games.

George Springer led the Huskies offensively, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. Mike Nemeth, meanwhile, batted 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

An RBI single by Daniel through the left side of the infield put the Colonels on the board in the second inning. Following EKU’s four-run fourth, the Huskies scored two in the home half of that inning to pull within three.

Daniel delivered again in the fifth inning, this time driving an RBI double to left that scored sophomore Ryan Faidley and pushed EKU’s lead to 6-2. An Ottrando bunt single in the sixth resulted in a throwing error and scored Rodriguez to make it 7-2. An RBI double by sophomore Jayson Langfels in the eighth scored Davis and gave the Colonels’ their biggest lead of the game at 8-2.

Consecutive RBI doubles by Nemeth and Springer in the bottom of the eighth pulled UCONN to within four, 8-4; however, Smith worked out of the eighth and Napier delivered a scoreless ninth to secure the win.

The Colonels will play their final game of the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational against Toledo tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.